Presentation on mine contamination in Azerbaijani territories took place at PACE PHOTO

As part of the Winter Semi-Session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), held in Strasbourg on January 23-27, 2023, a meeting titled “Humanitarian demining: paving the way for peace and sustainable development” was organized to address the mine contamination problem faced by Azerbaijan.

Report informs that the event was attended by PACE members, representatives of the diplomatic corps in Strasbourg, members of the Secretariat of the Council of Europe and other relevant individuals. The purpose of the meeting was to highlight the importance of humanitarian demining activities to ensure the rights and security of internally displaced persons, as well as the need for international efforts to support the ongoing demining process in Azerbaijan.

The head of the Azerbaijani delegation to PACE Samed Seyidov said Azerbaijan, being one of the most mine-prone countries, continues to face the consequences of this serious humanitarian problem in the post-conflict period.

He noted that the massive contamination of Azerbaijan's liberated territories with landmines hinders the pace of large-scale restoration and reconstruction work, poses a serious threat to the life and safety of people, and hence the realization of the rights of hundreds of thousands of internally displaced persons. According to Seyidov, after the end of the conflict in Karabakh in November 2020, a total of 282 people in Azerbaijan were killed or injured as a result of mine explosions in these areas, which indicates the seriousness of the problem.

Sultan Hajiyev, the authorized representative of the Coordinating Headquarters for the Restoration of the Liberated Territories, and the Head of the International Relations, Education and Press Department of the Mine Action Agency of the Republic of Azerbaijan (ANAMA) Ramil Azizov made a presentation at the event.

Hajiyev said successful demining is one of the main conditions for the restoration and reconstruction of the liberated territories and spoke about the consistent efforts of the Azerbaijani government in this regard. He added that addressing the problem of mines and unexploded ordnance was of great importance for the development and stability of the region.

Azizov, for his part, informed the meeting participants about the scale and complexity of the mine contamination problem facing Azerbaijan, the advanced methods used by ANAMA in demining operations, and the relevant results and challenges.

Summing up the event, Seyidov once again drew attention to the fact that after the end of the conflict, mines produced in Armenia in 2021 were delivered to the territory of Azerbaijan along the Lachin road, and also called on PACE and other international institutions to take this important fact seriously in the context of campaigns against Azerbaijan around the Lachin road.